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Message: <blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 8148146" data-attributes="member: 6785785">It depends on the nature of what is being talked about. If I craft a belief or a goal for my PC, that's me putting that thing out into the game, right? Does it mean that I will absolutely get what I want? Or does it mean that I may struggle with my belief, or that I may fail to reach my goal? If a player actively hands the GM something and says "I want my play to revolve around this thing" is it robbing the player's agency for the GM to put that thing at risk? Maybe the GM puts that goal in opposition to another that comes up in play and puts the PCs conviction to the test; which goal is more important to them? So.....my PC wants to save his brother. Maybe there's a Belief or an Ideal indicated on the character sheet that says something like "I'll do whatever it takes to find and save my brother." The PC's adventures lead him to a confrontation with a member of the cult that the brother ran off with. The cultist seeks to escape by setting fire to an orphanage. He then runs off. My PC can decide to chase him, or can stop and put out the fire, knowing that the cultist will escape. This (admittedly hastily sketched) scenario puts my PC's belief directly into question. Will the PC actually "do anything"? Or are there limits to what he will do, or what he will allow to happen through inaction on his part? This may actually alter my perception of the PC. Maybe I'm surprised to find that yes.....yes indeed he will do whatever it takes, and he runs off from the burning orphanage. Or maybe that's what I had always expected, but through play, I've realized that my PC has a sentimental streak and he stops to save the kids, letting the possible lead on his brother slip through his fingers. Whether or not beliefs remain intact, or goals are achieved is something that we find out through play, right? This goes back to the idea of risky play. It's not about controlling every single aspect of a PC.</blockquote>

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